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The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field was fought on August 22, 1485 when Richard III of England, the last of the Plantagenet dynasty, fought a pitched battle with the Lancastrian contender for his crown, Henry Tudor. Henry had landed in Pembrokeshire, the county of his birth, on August 7 with a
small force - consisting mainly of French mercenaries - in an attempt to claim the throne of England. Note that Richard III was
of the Yorkist branch of the Plantagenets.
Richard III had fought similar battles with Lancastrian usurpers in the past, but this one would be his last. Although Henry
did not have his opponent's military experience, he was accompanied by his uncle, Jasper Tudor (later Duke of Bedford)
and Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, both brilliant and seasoned
soldiers. Henry gathered supporters in the course of his journey through his father's native Wales, and by the time he arrived in the Midlands, he had amassed an
army estimated at 5,000 men. The king, by contrast, could command nearly 8,000. The decisive factor in the battle was to be the
conduct of the Stanley brothers - Sir William Stanley and Lord Thomas Stanley, the latter being Henry's stepfather. Richard had good cause to distrust them but was
dependent on their continued loyalty.
The battlefield site, now open to the public, is close to the villages of Sutton Cheney and Market Bosworth in Leicestershire. The actual site of the battle has been the topic of often
contentious debate among professional and amateur historians, with a compelling case being made for siting the battle closer to
the villages of Dadlington and Stoke Golding, although most are agreed
that Richard's encampment the night before the battle was indeed on Ambion Hill. In any case, the Stanleys seem to have taken up a position some distance away
from the two main armies. Richard had taken hostages to ensure that, even if they did not join him, they would at least remain
neutral during the battle.
Battle
Richard III got to Ambion Hill first and his troops were well-rested going into the battle, while Henry's men had trouble
lining up on the rough ground below (not clear why). Richard could have charged then and slaughtered the disorganised
Lancastrians but he missed his chance. When Henry Tudor finally got ready his men used cannon and arrows to damage Richard on his
hilltop, forcing him to come down. When he did, he called for Lord Northumberland (one of his own commanders) to join in with
fresh forces but Northumberland refused. But it was the decision of Lord Stanley, waiting nearby, that changed British history
forever. He had promised to fight for both Richard and Henry, and Richard trusted that he would join in on his side. But he
joined Henry instead, and Richard thus lost the battle. He led a charge against Henry but was cut down, the second and last
English King to be killed in battle (Harold Gudwinsson at Hastings, 1066, killed by the
Normans, was the first).
The battle lasted about two hours, and began well for the king. Unfortunately for him, the Stanleys chose their moment to
enter the fray on Henry's side. Despite a suicidal charge led by Richard in an attempt to remove Henry - who had stayed well
clear of most of the fighting - from the equation, the king was overwhelmed by the opposition.
Richard was killed on the field (the last English king to die in battle), and his body was ignominiously treated by the
victors. A popular legend says that the crown of England was found in a hawthorn bush after Richard's death, but the truth is
probably that it was the circlet Richard wore around his helmet, the common practice so followers could recognize their ruler in
battle, even from behind him.
However, the battle proved to be decisive in ending the long-running mediaeval series of English Civil Wars later be to known as the Wars of the Roses, although the last battle was actually to be fought at Stoke two years later (1487).
Henry Tudor's victory in this battle led to his being crowned as Henry VII, and the long reign of the Tudor
dynasty in England.
Two Myths
Richard's crown fell off his head as he died and it caught on a bush. Henry found it and wore it (or Stanley found it and gave
it to him).
As Richard died, he cried out "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!"
Both possible but unlikely. They were only mentioned in William Shakespeare's plays, written more than a hundred years later.
No other account mentions them. As for Henry finding the crown, that is virtually impossible because he wasn't even in the
fighting (he was watching some way off). Stanley could have found the crown but remember that victorious troops usually looted
the battlefield and they would probably have found it first, and if they did, they would probably keep it for themselves.
See also
External link
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